GMO project information

Webpage Assignment

Working in pairs, you will develop a set of webpages focused on one of the topics provided on this site. The web pages will not only introduce the topic but also show how it relates to the overall theme of the course. Layout and approach are at your discretion as long as the guidelines listed below are met. The intermediate product will have an introductory page with links to five other pages that you created. The final product will also contain links to the final papers written by each member of the pair.

Content: (things that the site must contain/do)

It must be saved to the bio server in the correct folder. I will set up the folders after the topics have been chosen. Files saved outside of your group's folder will be deleted. Be careful to not save anything into other group's folder.
It must be saved with the correct name. The project must have homepage that introduces the project and provides the all important 'first impression' and navigation buttons. The homepage file will go in your project folder and should be called <index.htm> so that the link from the class page will work.
Near the top of the homepage there must be a statement that informs the reader that the page was completed as part of a class assignment.
It must introduce the purpose of your group project, the underlying themes that tie all of your pages together, and how the project links back to the seminar.
If outside sources are used in creating the group site, the site must have internal references and must contain a link to a page that lists those references. (endnotes) Use the formats listed in the journal Cell for text references and in 'Online' for electronic ones. URLs are http://www.cell.com/misc/authors.shtml and http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite5.html#1
It must contain the copyright/ email-comment tag line. You may use my email as a contact point or appoint one of yourselves as the contact person.
The homepage must contain your names. Place this information in the copyright/tag line. Using first initial and last name is acceptible.
It must contain a link back to the seminar webpage and to the Davidson College homepage.
It must represent equal contributions by both members of the pair. That does not mean that you each type every other word. It does mean that you work together and decide how the work will be divided. Both members of the group are responsible for the understanding and being familiar with the content of all of the pages submitted for the pair project deadline. (The final papers that will be added later, of course, do not come under this guideline.
From the course information page
"Project webpage: Webpages designed by each pair that introduce your group's topic, state how it relates to the seminar's theme, define its important terms and areas of interest, provide background and perhaps include links to other organization's webpages for more information.The project must have an introductory homepage and at least five other pages that you have created. All webpages should be backed up by appropriate research and correctly formatted in text references (included on the site). No more than 50% of your references should be websites.Please note the staggered due dates to accomodate group project deadlines. These dates will not change."

Presentation:

This is a formal project. It should look professional.
The site has connections between six different pages. The style of all pages must be consistent.
Make sure it is legible (I suggest dark text on light background).

Words to live by:

Brainstorm, gather resources/references, plan again, meet early and often. Remember that your annotated bibliography entries are references that you will both be adding to.
Organize the server space. Do not just dump all files into your folder. Create a logical subfolder system.
Be sure to carry your own weight but don't try to do everything.
Yes you can ask for help. You may not have someone else set up your site, type in information or write sections but you may get help with technical difficulties or ask advice on layout, approach, writing. When asking remember that late night demands or last second questions often are not received very well.
Save your work on discs and on the server--ALWAYS have a backup! ALWAYS backup while creating each page, not just when they are 'done'.
Test your site and its links when it is on your discs AND when it is on the server. Broken links are often the result of files that you forgot to transfer to the server.
Don't wait until the last hour to put it all on the server. Servers are notorious for crashing before deadlines.

TOPICS

The topics that follow are not in any particular order. Read over the list and submit your top four choices to me before class on September 12th. I will try to accomodate your preferences while making sure that a variety of topics are covered and everyone works in pairs. You may suggest topics until Sept 4th.

1. Approaches for tagging and detecting GM plants: Dominant markers and sequence based approaches.	7. Herbicides: their usage, design and development. Boon to society? Lesser of two evils? Can modern production standards be kept up without them? Should other options be found?
2. Current methods for containing GM plants. Do we have to worry? What is being done? Should more be done?	8. Plant stress: How do you deal with the environment when you can't move? Improving growth and yield in less than perfect conditions (heat, water, salt etc.)
3. Forcing Agriculture: Approaches used to get crops to market ripe and intact. (ex. ethylene to ripen, forcing bulbs, selecting 'quickly maturing' traits)	9. Agricultural approaches and farming practices. Dealing with costs, pests, erosion, top soil quality (can focus in US or other countries)
4. Herbicide /pesticide resistance: What is it? Cost / benefit of organic, chemical and GM approaches.	10. 'Feeding the world': food supply --where it is and where it isn't, sustainable agriculture, access to GM crops. Paths taken and possible roads to follow.
5. Genetic modification for medicinal purposes: Banana and potato vaccines and golden rice, what is known,what has been done. Pros and Cons	11. GM plants and the environment. Potential for and effect of gene transfer, introduction of species. Is a gene for herbicide resistance 'worse' than a gene for increased vitamin B content? Is it 'ok' if the gene is modified from a plant gene?
6. Regulation of GMOs. What are they? Who has them (countries)? What are they based on? What direction should they go?	12. Comparison of traditional plant breeding and genetic modification. Costs/benefits of breeding. Costs/benefits of GM.